


Cold Hands, Warm Heart

by seraphic_gate



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Hoshimeguri, M/M, Wedding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2019-12-18 05:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18243620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphic_gate/pseuds/seraphic_gate
Summary: Friends of Erin and Orion are summoned to Lama during the coldest of winter months for a get together that totally isn’t a wedding.  (Follows “Go Jump in a Lake”)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, those of you who would like an explaination to my dumb English idioms:
> 
>  
> 
> “Cold hands, warm heart” is a saying that means a person who doesn’t show external warmth can be a kind person on the inside. In this case, I’m referring to Sardinia.
> 
> This will be a multi-chapter, but no ongoing assassination attempts plot this time. I just wanted to do some more with this scenario and these characters so here it is.

Erin waited for Sardinia’s ship to arrive. 

It was one of the colder months in Lama. A frosty wind swept into the dock as the bay doors open to allow Sardinia’s ship to land. 

The ship Sardinia used was sleek and sparkling like a piece of glass. It stood out against the Laman steel docking bay and the other ships around it, all black and grey. 

Soon the doors opened and Sardinia stepped out, along with Shinkai and a small envoy of their servants.

Erin laughed. “And here I was, afraid you wouldn’t have clothes for the occasion.”

Sardinia was wearing a pure white fur cloak that swallowed his small figure. It was quilted and embroidered all over with gold lattices. Underneath was a dress with a high collar that framed his face and shielded him from the wind. It was the color of an aquamarine. Gold trim and rainbow opal gleamed brilliantly against the color. The king of the star of water also made for a fetching ice prince, Erin thought.

He lifted one gloved hand to brush a piece of pale hair behind his ear. “Good to see you again, Erin. I have—“. Before he could say whatever it was, he stopped short, looking Erin over. His breath puffed in the air. “Did you get married?” 

“No, don’t be stupid!” Erin touched a finger to his crown, as he often found himself doing whenever any attention was drawn to it. “King just gave me this for uh... status reasons.”

Sardinia was unconvinced. He pouted and balled his fists in his white leather gloves. “What status would that be?”

Erin shrugged and answered in a sheepish tone. “Prince Consort to the king?”

“Then you are married! And no one informed me!”

Shinkai began to chuckle to himself. “I haven’t seen King Sardinia so worked up in quite a while.” His words made Sardinia blush.

Shinkai was more modestly dressed, in a winter coat, although still wearing his usual hat with all the dangly bits hanging from it.

Sardinia turned his nose up at that. “Who wouldn’t be upset to know his friends got married and didn’t tell him?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Erin sighed. “It isn’t official or anything, it was all just matter of fact. Feels kind of weird to talk about it out loud, honestly.”

“You don’t need to apologize, we all know it’s Orion’s fault. Where is he?”

Erin couldn’t help but laugh at that. “My king sent me to greet you, since he had to attend to some matters of court this afternoon. He can meet us for dinner, but I’m here to show you to your rooms and stuff.”

Sardinia’s irritation gave way to a smile. “Well, I suppose the new prince of Lama is a regal enough host.”

“Yeesh, you make it sound so weird.”

“Can I take your arm, Prince?”

“Please don’t.”

***

“King said you’d want to see the snow, so he set aside this room next to the courtyard.”

“I can’t remember saying that,” Sardinia said, humming in thought. “Is snow really such a big deal?”

“If you’ve never seen it before, it might be.”

Erin opened the door and led them into a cozy room with a double door beyond the bedroom that led out into a walled garden, where snow had just begun to dust the ground and the trees.

Sardinia left his servants to deal with his luggage and went straight to the window to watch the snow fall. “It’s beautiful,” he said, staring out, enchanted. “I thought it would be like rain, but it’s not.”

Erin smiled. Sardinia could be cute sometimes. “Is the room okay?”

“Oh.” He turned his attention away from the window and looked around at the bed and the fireplace. “Yes, it should be adequate.”

“It’s not as rich as any room on Sirena, you sure you’re okay?”

“It’s easier to keep a smaller space warm after all, right?”

“Yep, and you’ll need it. It’s going to be a cold night.”

“Where’s the bath?”

“Pfft...”. Erin couldn’t hold himself back from snickering. “We usually don’t take baths in the winter, it’s way too cold.”

“How do I wash?”

“Use the basin like everybody else!”

“Hmf. I suppose I’ll suffer through this.”

“Geez, you’re high maintenance.”

Sardinia returned to the window. Shinkai brought in the last of his luggage—which was way too much for a week’s stay, Erin thought. “I’ll help him adjust,” he said with a beleaguered sigh. “My king has never been off planet before. Thank you for inviting us.”

“Ah, that’s right.” Erin supposed he had taken Orion’s freedom of travel for granted. He doubted that Sardinia have ever been very far from his castle. “Well, you’ve got free reign of the place while you’re here.”

“If it’s all the same,” Shinkai said, “I’d much rather wait until either you or the king himself can accompany us before we go touring.”

“Ah, it’s not like anybody’s going to try to kill you! I mean, it’s unlikely at least.”

Shinkai looked dubious, and that was fair. 

“All right, then I’ll come get you in a bit for dinner.”

Sardinia was still glued to the window. “I’ll watch the snow for a while.”

***

Orion hated to be assaulted with decisions to be made right as he was about to take a vacation. He suspected a few of the politicians of the court waited until just such moments to bombard him, hoping he’d gloss over their proposals and pass them. 

It might have even worked a few times, as Orion had been eager to get off work lately, with the promise of being alone with Erin at the end of the day. But once he recognized the pattern, he resolved to examine any eleventh hour proposals with double the scrutiny.

“You’re still at it, really?” 

Orion had grown so used to Erin popping up in a previously empty room without any hint as to how he got in, that he didn’t even jump at his voice anymore. “I’m almost finished.”

Erin was wearing the new clothes Orion had commissioned for him. The coat and cape lined with emerald green identified his status as the king’s partner, and was more practical for these cold months than the light jacket he wore before.

He was quite beautiful in them, too. The gold lines emphasized his waist and shoulders.

Erin slipped around to his side of the desk and sat right on it, next to the stack of papers Orion was correcting.

“You’re being distracting,” he said, trying not to let his eyes linger on those legs. Erin was keeping his new wardrobe as close cut as usual.

Erin smirked. “Yeah?”

He set the pen aside for just a moment to brush Erin’s bangs aside and kiss the circlet he wore over his forehead. It was something he had started doing lately, a symbol that reminded them both of all the things they didn’t have time to say during these busy days. The metal was always warm from the heat of Erin’s body, even in the cold. 

“I will be finished soon.”

“I’ll wait right here.”

Orion focused and doubled his efforts. 

His office at this time in the evening was silent except for the sound of him scribbling against the paper. The sun was going down, and he was so close to finishing that he hadn’t bothered to start a light. 

When he finally put the last mark on the proposal, he was tempted to stay here with Erin in the fading daylight and the peaceful quiet. Privacy and silence were so rare.

But, he had guests to attend to.

“I’ll drop this off, and we’ll go collect Fang.”

Erin hopped off the desk. “These assholes better stop it with the late proposals, or I might just kill them.”

“I can’t condone murdering members of court, but,” he rolled his shoulders. “There’s no reason you can’t _imply_ the possibility.”

“Gotcha.”

***

By the time they reached the port, the snow was getting heavy and Orion reached for his gloves. 

“It’s too bad that the cold is so severe,” Orion said. “Will Sardinia be all right?”

Erin laughed. “He has a whole wardrobe of Snow Queen getups just for the occasion.”

“Of course he does.”

The Burst Roar Caravan, tough little ship that it was, landed without incident in spite of the weather. Orion and Erin waited until the ramp lowered and Fang walked out, dressed just the same as he always was.

“It’s been a while!” Fang shook his hand so enthusiastically, he thought his arm might fall off.

“Ah, Lord Fang,” Erin said. “Are you going to be all right? The weather is kind of...”

Fang looked around himself as if he’d only just noticed the snow falling. “Oh, is it cold?”

Erin shrugged.

“I hadn’t noticed! Bestians don’t get cold.”

Coda, much smaller than Fang and absolutely swallowed in layers of coats, trotted down the ramp holding himself for warmth. His breath was puffing white in the cold air. “Of course we do, you’re just a special case.” 

Along with him came Hope, who was shivering, but was wide-eyed in excitement. “Wow, it’s snowing! Everything is white!”

Fang laughed at that. He slapped his attendant on the back, a little too hard. Coda stumbled forward. “Let’s get you two somewhere cozy and warm.”

Erin chuckled. “I’m glad you could come along with them, Hope. I’d have been sad not to have the chance to see you again.”

“Of course we’d give him a ride,” Fang said. “He’s an unofficial member of the caravan now.”

“King Orion sounded insistent that all of your friends should be here,” Coda said. “Although I’m not sure why that includes me...”

“Aw, don’t be that way!” Hope gave Coda a big hug through his many coats and grinned at Erin. “Coda said that you were getting married. Is that for real?”

Orion began to sputter and cough. 

Erin sighed. “King...”

“I didn’t tell them that!” Orion spat. 

Fang put his hands on his hips, pointing. “Well if that’s true, I’m going to be angry with you for telling me otherwise! Weddings call for gifts, food, flowers—“

“There will not be a wedding,” Orion grumbled. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Erin dismissed the conversation with a wave of his hand. “You’re just gathering all of our friends here for no particular reason, gotcha.”

Orion felt the bitter sting of the wind in his face.

***

Lama was a strange place. Strange to him, at least. 

Sardinia had spent a while looking out his window, not just at the snow, but at the architecture of this city. The sky was grey and dark spires of steel shot up into it, speckled with orange flickering lights as their inhabitants warmed themselves by fires within.

“Black and gold,” Shinkai said. “The place exudes a regal essence, doesn’t it?”

Sardinia had ridiculed Orion in the past by saying Lama was so dull, only because it was fun to tease him. It wasn’t as if he had ever seen Lama. He still couldn’t say for sure if he had found beauty in this place, but it was far from boring.

“Ah. Erin has returned,” Shinkai said. 

“And I haven’t changed for dinner. I’d hardly noticed the time passing.”

***

Sardinia went without the gloves and the outer coat, since dinner would be indoors and in a heated chamber, and it would be difficult to eat while wearing them.

Erin led them to a fire lit dining hall lined with arched windows. Unlike the painted glass of Sirena, these windows were crisscrossed with steel. The application had an elegant aesthetic in its own way, but he was certain its main utility was for security purposes. 

Outside, the snow had gotten heavier. The steel world beyond the glass was frosted white like a world out of a fairy tale.

“Sardinia!” 

He heard Fang’s voice and looked up to find a warm, friendly smile. “Ah, Lord Fang. I heard that you might be coming.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Miss what?”

“Well, I didn’t put it together, but Coda says this get-together is probably Orion’s idea of a wedding reception.”

“Ah.” Sardinia felt silly. He could read futures, and still hadn’t seen that coming. “Makes sense. Those two have something special, which I’m envious of.”

“They do?”

Sardinia laughed softly. He touched Fang’s arm to lead him toward the table. “I can tell you about it later. It’s rude to speak of at dinner.”

“Okay, but I’ll hold you to it.”

Sardinia looked up again at the sound of giggles and snorts. Erin was talking to Coda and Hope. Sardinia knew Coda through Fang, but had only briefly met Hope. The boy was as overflowing with energy as he remembered.

Erin smiled and laughed with those two. They were all about his age. Sardinia felt a pang of jealously, not directed in any specific person’s direction.

Hope turned and waved at him. “Hi, King Sardinia! And Shinkai!”

“Good to see you again, Hope.”

“Erin said you taught him to swim. Can you teach me, too?”

“Come to visit me on Sirena, and I certainly will.”

“Ah, Coda! Can we go to Sirena next?”

Coda huffed. “Won’t Curse worry about you if you’re out star hopping for weeks?”

“Ah, that’s true...”

“Next time, then,” Sardinia said.

Once everyone was seated, Orion took the seat at the head of the table. Erin sat to his right, laughing at something Hope had said. Sardinia caught the hint of a smile on Orion’s lips as he saw Erin smiling and laughing.

He tapped Fang’s arm. “There, you see?”

“Ah, yes. Orion never looked so happy before.”

Orion banished the smile from his face and turned to address everyone from his seat. “Thank you all for coming,” he said. “We are only missing Carnelian, whose ship was delayed due to the weather.”

“Ah, so even Lazu is coming?” Erin sounded delight we at that. “I can’t wait.”

Orion went on. “I apologize, King Sardinia, for being unable to greet you myself.”

Sardinia waved his hand. “Oh, but I was escorted by a handsome prince.”

“Prince?” Fang asked, and looked all around the room for who that person could be.

“How did that title go again?” Sardinia hummed, performing the act of thinking about it. “Prince Erin, Consort to the King of Lama...”

Fang slapped the table. “So you did get married!”

“We’re not married!” Orion insisted.

Hope leaned close to Coda. “What does consort mean?”

Coda sighed. “It means they’re totally married.”

“We are not married—“

Erin interrupted him this time. “No? But what about my honor? You’re so cruel.”

Orion glared at him. “We are not married _yet_.”

Erin blinked back at him. “Eh?”

“Oh good!” Fang clapped his hands and grinned brilliantly. “I was afraid I missed it! I love weddings.”

“I was ready to scold him too,” Sardinia said. “How could he not invite us?”

“Shut up!” Orion pounded the table. Then, in the silence that followed, he cleared his throat, embarrassed at himself. “Erin already holds the title of my spouse, so legally it’s all the same, but...”. He choked on the next part, unable to get it out. 

Even Erin had a hard time speaking. This was a ripe opportunity to tease his king. “Do you really intend to have a wedding? Is that what this has all been for?”

Orion straightened up in his chair. “I haven’t yet said my vows to you properly, and I want to. I wouldn’t call it a wedding.”

“That is what a wedding is,” Coda said flatly. 

Sardinia ignored all the bickering and teasing going on in response to this news, and focused on Erin in that moment. 

“A feeling that could make even a deadly assassin blush...”

Fang looked at him. “Did you say something? Sorry, everyone is so loud when we’re together like this, and your voice is so soft, I could barely hear it.”

“Nothing.”

***

Dinner was about as Lama-ish as one might expect. They were plain foods, although cooked well. Sardinia found himself savoring the simple but robust flavors, so different from Sirena’s quisine, which was artful and delicate.

After dinner, Orion excused himself. Sardinia understood why. As a king, he’d have been up since early in the day and would likely be at it again in the morning. 

Desserts were served. Warm custard pie so rich and inviting that Sardinja could barely finish his portion.

Shinkai joined Erin and the other boys in their discussion, which brought up memories of their adventures together. 

Memories that Sardinia didn’t share.

He listened aptly, surprised at all that Shinkai had seen without him. He was amused, but at the same time, it left a pit in his heart.

He felt a touch on his shoulder and found Fang standing beside him. “Want to go for a walk?” 

“Ah, but you understand about Orion and Erin now.”

“It seems obvious all of the sudden,” he laughed. “But you can tell me the details.”

“I’ve been advised not to wander in Lama without an escort,” he said. “Will you be able to protect me from the assassins and various assortments of danger?”

“Lama isn’t as bad as it used to be,” he said. “But you’ll be safe with me.”

Sardinia stood up and joined him. “How chivalrous.”

Fang laughed. 

Together, they walked through the halls of Orion’s castle, away from the noise of Erin and his friends. 

“So since when were those two so in love?”

“Since always,” Sardinia sighed. “Although it may have gone on forever unspoken, if not for some unfortunate events on my world.”

“Unfortunate?”

“An assassination attempt or two,” Sardinia said. “Not unusual for them.”

Fang laughed. “That’s those two’s idea of a honeymoon.” 

“Right?” Sardinia’s laughter echoed in the hall, and faded. He looked somberly to the window. “I told Erin, dying for someone is easy to do. Living for them is what’s hard.”

“So you were the one who brought them together?” 

“I wouldn’t give myself that much credit. They were already in love.”

“Ah, still, it’s so perceptive of you. I never notice these things!” He looked at Sardinia. “And as for things I don’t notice. Sardinia... are you cold?” 

“A little. I didn’t bring my coat.”

Fang took his off without a word, and draped it over Sardinia’s shoulders. It was a three quarter sleeve on fang, but reached a full length on Sardinia.

He shook his head and sighed. “What a gentleman.”

“I don’t get cold,” Fang said, matter-of-fact. “On Bestia, we have every climate you could imagine.”

“It must be beautiful,” Sardinia said. “I am told that Sirena is a paradise, but I wouldn’t know.”

“Now that you are on Lama, is it exciting?”

Sardinia pulled the coat tighter around himself. It was cold in the hall, by these windows. “Yes. I think I know Orion better just by seeing this place.”

“Ha. Orion is... well... he’s pure, in his way. And rigid.”

“Yes,” Sardinia said with a snort. “And passionate, and unyielding. That man’s heart may be in the right place, but his head is hard as a rock.”

Fang laughed. “The two of you are like a mountain and a river.”

“Me, like a river?”

“Of course. Flexible, fluid... but a mighty force nonetheless.”

“But a river gets to go where it wishes,” Sardinia said. “So, I’m more of a lake. Or a pond. Or just a puddle, really.”

He lifted his hand to feel the glass. It was cold. His fingers left a trail behind them. 

Fang chuckled and added two dots to turn the mark into a smiling face. “It opens, you know,” he said. “Want to go out?”

“But, isn’t it too cold?”

“It’ll be fine for a second! We’ll just cross the courtyard.”

“It does look beautiful...”

Fang pulled the doors open with a rattle and a gust of chilly wind hit Sardinia in the face. He burrowed into the fur lining of Fang’s coat.

“Come on, I’ll show you how to make a snowman!”

***

In the dining hall, the food was cleared away. Erin kept chatting with the others. It felt almost strange to have so many friends in the same room. Usually, aside from Orion, most people in a given room were afraid of him.

Erin caught movement out of the corner of his eye and shushed his friends. Coda and Hope talked the most, and he was content to listen. But this was something they’d all want to see.

He pulled Coda close to him and pointed through the window. Out in the courtyard, Fang had taken Sardinia into the snow. The regal king of Sirena was spinning around in it like a child.

Shinkai adjusted his glasses. “I can’t believe it.”

Erin was struggling to contain a fit of giggles, but he was afraid that if he was loud about it, Sardinia would notice that the dining room had this view of the courtyard.

Coda sighed. “Fang can pull anyone into his nonsense...”

“He’s so cute,” Erin sputtered, trying not to laugh. “King Sardinia is so cute prancing around in the snow!”

Just then, Sardinia slipped and fell harmlessly into the soft fallen snow. He laughed and Fang helped him up.

Hope clasped his hands together in excitement. “Ah, that looks like fun!”

“It does,” Erin said. “And seeing as how my king has gone to bed already, I’m getting bored.”

“So what do you want to do?” Hope asked.

“Snowball offensive,” Erin said. 

Coda huffed. “Four on two? Isn’t that unfair?”

“But Fang counts as like six guys on his own.”

“True.”

“Shinkai, are you in?”

Shinkai stood. “I’ve never held a snowball, but I will figure it out if it’ll help my king unwind for once.”

“That’s the spirit!”

 

***

Fang looked up at the sound of crunchy footsteps in their direction. He didn’t bother the move as the first snowball pelted his shoulder. But more came, and he moved to cover Sardinia.

Sardinia found himself laughing as Fang shielded him with his huge body. 

“You can’t hide from us!” Erin shouted. The most accurate of the snowballs were from him, of course.

The ones Hope was throwing were too soft and fell apart in the air. Coda stopped to take him by the hands and show him how to pack it into a ball. 

“If you’re looking for a fight, you’ve got it!” Fang shouted, and crouched to scoop some snow into his hand.

He gave the snowball to Sardinia. Despite the cold, Sardinia could feel how warm Fang was. “Here, just throw it, okay?”

Sardinia could do more than that.

He tossed the packed snow into the air. It was a soft pitch. Erin laughed and started to say something snarky, but before he could get it out, the snowball split into four parts and hit each of them square in the head. 

“Oof,” Erin recovered, stumbling in the snow. “Why didn’t you tell us his powers work on ice too?” he shouted at Shinkai.

“I didn’t know they would,” he answered, shaking snow off of his hat.

“Okay!” Erin belted out his new commands. “Focus on Sardinia and keep him from using that stupid magic!”

“Stupid?” Sardinia flicked his hand and more snowballs flew in Erin’s direction. “See who drowns next time you fall into a lake!”

Erin dodged, leaving them to pelt Coda and Hope.

“Wow, thanks!” Coda shouted. “Bastard.”

Fang grinned at Sardinia. “I got an idea.” Without any more warning than that, he lifted Sardinia up effortlessly onto his shoulders.

Sardinia has never heard himself make such a sound as the squeal that came out of him when Fang pulled him up. 

“Mobile snowball tactics,” Fang said. “Just keep up the attack, and I’ll dodge!”

“Ah!” Sardinia could barely concentrate with Fang leaping all around underneath him. Not to mention the position he had him in, with his thighs spread over Fang’s shoulders.

They continued to pummel each other with snowballs, giggling and squealing. Finally, just as Sardinia was beginning to lose himself in it, they heard a voice boom over the courtyard like thunder.

“What the hell are all of you doing?” Orion shouted. He leaned over a banister from the next floor up. “You’re so loud, the court thinks there’s an attack!”

Erin answered him by pelting a snowball right into his face. A crack shot.

Orion grumbled and wiped the snow away. “Is that how you want to play? Fine!”

He leapt down from the balcony, landing deftly in the snow beside Sardinia, who was still riding fang’s shoulders. He might have looked cool, if he were not in his pajamas.

He swept his arm across the field and pointed at Erin menacingly. “Kings versus attendants.”

“Ooh, I’m scared,” Erin cooed, holding his hands to his cheeks, mocking him. 

“How are we going to hold up against all three of them?” Coda grumbled. 

“Coda, just follow me to victory.”

“What you mean is for us to act as expendable pawns in your lover’s spat.”

Hope laughed. “This is so much fun!”

“Nonsense.” Erin slapped Shinkai on the back. “Since Sardinia is using that hydromancy of his, it’s only fair if we use our special powers, too. Shinkai can see the future, so we can out maneuver them!”

“My powers don’t work like that,” Shinkai said, inching away. 

Erin was getting frustrated at them. “Then Coda, use your beast powers!”

“I’m not any more strong with my ears than without them!”

“Well do it anyway, and at least distract them with your cuteness.”

“That won’t work!”

Orion was already charging at them. “Ready or not, Erin!”

Sardinia watched them pummel each other until they were covered in snow. For his own part, he went easy on Hope and Coda. He got a few in on his “teammate” Orion just for fun, too.

Eventually, everyone was worn out and panting. Sardinia didn’t even feel cold until Fang set him down.

“All right,” Fang said. “That’s enough fun for everyone. Time for bed.”

There was a groan from Erin, Coda, and Hope like a bunch of kids who had stayed up past their bed time. 

Orion grumbled as he brushed snow off himself. “How about something warm to drink?”

Erin threw himself at Orion and hugged his arm tight. “Hot chocolate! With whip cream!”

“Fine, fine.”

Orion waited until everyone had passed them, eager to get back inside where it was warm. He tried to hide it, but Sardinia noticed.

Orion swept Erin’s bangs aside, and kissed his forehead. 

Sardinia felt his heart swell at such a tender sight. He averted his eyes. He shouldn’t have seen it.

“Sardinia?” Fang held his hand out. “Are you all right? That jacket of mine isn’t much against this wind, is it?”

Sardinia was freezing, but at least the fur collar protected his face. “Thank you for lending it to me.”

Fang put his arm around him. “Hurry, inside! You’re shaking like a puppy.”

Sardinia looked over his shoulder once more. 

Orion was standing with Erin in the snow.

He followed Fang, and let them have their fun.

***

Orion was thankful in the end that their noise had roused him. He wanted Erin to have plenty of time to visit with his friends, so he had excused himself early. But he’d have hated to miss this.

Erin was smiling as he stood in the falling snow. He was still panting from all that activity, and his cheeks were flushed. He had snow stuck in his hair, coating his shoulders, and even in his eyelashes. 

“What a mess. Can’t you go fifteen minutes without causing trouble?”

“You were having fun,” Erin said. “I even caught you smiling.”

“Guilty.”

“Just so long as we both understand that my team won.”

“By whose count?”

“Sore loser.”

“Yeah, well how about a rematch tomorrow?”

“Sure, after King Carnelian gets here, we’ll have Lazu on our team, too.”

“Pfft. How well can he throw with a mask over his face?”

“You’ll find out.”

***

Later that night, finally, everyone had exhausted themselves.

Orion returned with Erin to their room, and stoked the fire while Erin changed into some warm pajamas. 

Erin snuck up on him and draped himself over his shoulders from behind. “My king~” he said in a sing-song tone. “Come keep me warm.”

“Go on and bundle up. I’m making a hot water bottle for you, so you don’t kill me with those cold feet of yours when we’re in bed.”

Erin’s hold on him slacked and he slid into a position nuzzled against his back. “You’re taking care of me again,” he said. “Orion.”

Orion sighed and put his arm around him. They sat together on the floor in front of the fire and enjoyed the moment, soundless except for the crackling of wood. 

Soon “never off duty” Erin was asleep against his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Sardinia stood at the window. He was having trouble sleeping, even with the warm fire and the cozy blankets offered to him. 

The window was fogged over. He drew a face with two dots and a curved line for the smile.

“Who taught you that?” Shinkai’s voice. 

Sardinia thought he had fallen asleep. He quickly swiped the drawing in the window’s fog with his palm to erase it. 

Shinkai chuckled. “You can be cute sometimes.”

“Don’t think that because we are off world, it gives you the reign to be impertinent.”

He sighed. “It’s all right if you want to have fun. You don’t need my permission.”

The words landed on him like an accusation. He felt his face heat up and his skin prickle. “Of course I don’t. I am king.”

“Goodnight then, King.”

Shinkai rolled over into his bed again. Sardinia was suddenly unsure if he liked the idea of this double room.

***

Erin woke before the sun came up. The fire in their bedroom had burned out, and the room was chilly. His first thought was to get the fire going and warm the place up again before Orion got out of bed. Then he’d go and see that everything was ready for their guests, and make sure nobody was trying to kill any of them.

But when he moved, heavy arms wrapped around his waist tightened.

“Not so fast.” Orion grumbled in his ear. It tickled.

“King, lemme go.”

“No.”

Erin squirmed. “You’d keep me in bed all day, lazy bones.”

“I’ll be up shortly for a meeting.”

“Thats why in trying to get up, dummy. You need your rest, so let me handle everything else.”

Orion nuzzled into the back of Erin’s neck, making himself comfortable with his face buried against his red hair. “Give me this moment.”

Erin sighed and gave in. Orion’s soft kiss to the nape of his neck was too much to resist. “What does it matter? You’ll just fall asleep again, anyway.”

One more deep, contented, sigh against Erin’s neck, and he had.

***

Thanks to his uneasy night’s rest, Sardinia had no trouble sleeping in until they were summoned for a late breakfast.

Most of the guests gathered in the dining hall again. They were served eggs, bacon, and some sort of mash of grain. It wasn’t as good as dinner had been. Sardinia picked at his food. 

Shinkai offered him a plate of cut melon and citrus. Sardinia’s eyes lit up.

“Where did you find this?” He shoved a segment of orange into his mouth, eager for something light and sweet.

“Compliments of Lord Fang and his Burst Roar Caravan,” Shinkai said. 

Sardinia looked up to see Fang delivering a whole plate of fresh strawberries to king Orion at the end of the dining table, who grudgingly accepted as Erin laughed and cheered.

Sardinia smiled. “Thank Coda for me, I’m sure it’s his forethought.”

“Gladly.”

***

By midday, the snow had stopped falling, but it wasn’t warm enough to melt away. Sardinia marveled at how the coat of pristine white glittered under the sun.

He was invited to join the others to greet King Carnelian, although he had only ever briefly met him. The only time he’d ever been off planet before was for the traditional union at Mistero.

Orion hung back towards him. Maybe he wasn’t on such good terms with the king of Alba either.

“What do you make of Carnelian?” Sardinia asked. “Shinkai’s report didn’t leave me with a good impression.”

“He’s always been a guarded type, but Erin likes his guardsman, and it might have been rude not to invite the king of Alba, if the rest of you are going to be here. He has been my host several times, after all.”

Both Fang and Orion had traveled all the stars at their whim. Sardinia felt lacking in experience compared to them. “I suppose.”

“Besides, Fang and Hope would be the ones most justified in disliking the guy, and look at those two smiling.”

Fang, Coda, and Hope were standing with Erin and Shinkai to greet their friends.

Carnelian wasn’t difficult to identify once he’d landed, with his regal violet cloak and bright orange hair that stood out against the backdrop of snowy white. The lumbering hulk of a guard beside him was no small indication, either.

“Lazu!” Erin called out.

Lazu’s head turned to him.

Erin slapped him hard on the back. “Glad you could make it.”

He groaned at that, but said nothing otherwise.

Coda approached Carnelian first, smiling, but with a timidness that didn’t seem like him. The entire scene was awkward for reasons that Sardinia didn’t fully understand.

Erin, as usual, pierced through whatever the tension was with his humor. “You too, Nelly.”

“Nelly?” Carnelian sneered.

Coda covered his mouth as if to hide his reaction to that. “Cute...”

Hope smiled, too. “I’m glad to see you again, too! I’m really happy that we can all be together again.”

Carnelian turned his head at that, and his expression softened. “I’m happy to see you two doing well.”

Orion left Sardinia’s side and went to stand with the others. “King Carnelian, welcome to the star of Lama.”

“Thank you for inviting me. Although, I’m still not sure what the occasion is.”

Hope leaned in and whispered something against Carnelian’s ear. His eyes widened. “Ah, I see.”

Orion’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. Sardinia couldn’t help but giggle at him. “My greetings to you, as well, King Carnelian.”

“King Sardinia. It’s been quite a while.”

Fang chuckled. “If only lord Vega could come, and all of us kings would be together.”

“He’s a little busy,” Sardinia said, shaking his head in dismay. “In any case, you look cold, King Carnelian. Would you like to go inside?”

Orion bristled at that. “It’s my country, I’ll invite him in.”

“Then be a little more attentive to your guests’ needs,” Sardinia said in return, with more of a barb in his tone.

“Now, now.” Fang motioned his hands to settle them down. 

“Alba has winters similar to this,” Carnelian said. “I will be fine.”

“Then that’s enough pleasantries,” Orion said. “It’s time for the battle to commence.”

“Battle?”

Erin grinned. “The snow battle! Now that everyone is here, King found us a perfect spot!”

Sardinia sighed. “Is this the only thing you do for fun on Lama?”

Orion huffed. “This from someone who thinks swimming is so great.” 

“It saved your life a few times!”

“Ah!” Fang’s face lit up in excitement. “Since it doesn’t get this cold on most of our worlds, you should show us all the things you do in the winter time.”

Carnelian was still noticeably melancholy. “I don’t have any ideas.”

Lazu, who had been quiet all this time, spoke. “The ice dancers.”

“Oh, that’s right. One time there were people who used bladed skates and danced around on a frozen lake.”

“Never heard of that,” Orion scoffed. 

Sardinia sighed. “You’d need a lake, for one thing.”

“Shoes with blades on them sound cool though,” Erin said. “Where can I get some?”

“They aren’t those kind of blades,” Lazu said, marked disappointment in his tone, as if he’d tried it before.

“Just gather your things for a day trip and come on,” Orion grumbled. 

***

“It’s been a while since I rode the train,” Erin said. 

The king’s royal car was striking in its austere design, but lacking a certain level of comfort. Erin inched to Orion’s side and nuzzled his head against his shoulder, but that wasn’t any softer. 

“Take your stupid pauldrons off,” Erin whined. “You’re on a fun trip, why are you still dressed like the king of Lama?”

“You don’t want to stay in bed in the morning, but you want a cuddle at midday?”

Erin pouted. “Yes.”

Orion sighed and unpinned his cape. Then he took off the coat. He sat down again and extended his arm in invitation.

Erin grinned and leaned into him. “Was that so hard?”

Orion gave half a laugh at that as he put his arm around him. “You’re getting spoiled.”

***

Sardinia entered one of the train’s cabins that had been set aside for him. The trip would only last an hour about, but he was thankful for the heated compartment and nestled in immediately.

He heard the sound of a luggage cart rolling and turned his head. “Shinkai, would you—-“. He stopped abruptly when he realized it wasn’t Shinkai pushing his cart, but Fang instead. “—ah, Lord Fang? Why are you handling my things?”

“Shinkai seemed to be having some trouble,” he chuckled. “Do you carry this much around with you everywhere?”

“I don’t think it’s that much. We will be back by the evening, so I only packed one extra outfit from my wardrobe.”

Fang looked again at the huge crate. “This huge luggage is one additional outfit?”

Sardinia huffed and looked out the window. The train was starting to leave the station. They passed through steel arches and into the city. “I am the king of Sirena, I have an image to maintain of grace and beauty.”

“But do you really need such a flashy outfit when you’re already naturally beautiful?”

Sardinia clutched his skirts and turned his nose up. “No one asked you.”

Fang laughed again. He said these kind of things without much thought. It would be presumptuous to think he meant anything by it. Still, Sardinia turned to the window to hide the blush creeping into his cheeks.

Fang thought he was beautiful, even without his jewelry or his exquisite silks.

“Well, it’s nothing for me. So I’ll give Shinkai a break and carry it for you.”

“Where is Shinkai?”

“He went to Carnelian’s car. I think that Coda and Hope are there as well. They want to catch up.”

“King Carnelian is quite popular for a war criminal.”

“Ah, don’t be like that. Carnelian is a good person, and a good king.”

Sardinia figured that if Fang was saying that after the fire on his star, he must have a good reason. He dropped it, but something about the situation left him annoyed.

“You could join them if you want to. It isn’t a private party.”

Sardinia twisted the frabric of his skirts between his fingers tighter. “No, I’ll do better if I stay here.”

“Then, may I stay?”

Sardinia looked up from the window for a moment. Fang had taken a seat opposite his. “You are as kind as ever.”

“Eh, what do you mean? I was just asking...”

“You don’t have to worry about me. Go and be with your friends. I’m perfectly fine here on my own.”

“I can see them any time I like. Spending time with you is a rare thing.”

“Ah.” Sardinia didn’t have a response for that. “In that case, do you know much about Lama? What are we seeing right now?”

“The capital city,” Fang said. He leaned closer to the window and pointed out at a spot on the horizon. “That vacant area is part of Orion’s public works project,” he said. “Soon, there will be a municipal garden. I’ll be importing plants from Bestia to grow there.”

“I wonder where he got that idea,” Sardinia mused to himself. 

“We will soon be passing the industrial sector, where they refine the ore that comes from their mines into steel. Once we get out of the city, you’ll be able to see the mountain range where they mine the stuff, too.”

“You are so knowledgeable.”

He shrugged. “Coda taught me these things when we first came here, I never traveled much before that.”

“Before now, I’ve only been to Mistero, and that was for an official function.”

“Lama isn’t the most tourist-friendly Star, especially not during their winter.” They watched the landscape as the train made its way through the city and out to the open fields. Then Fang’s face lit up. “You should come to Bestia!”

“I had to do a lot just to get this time away,” Sardinia said. “I don’t get to fly around the stars as I wish.”

“Ah, I didn’t mean to say something presumptuous.” Fang’s attempts to hide his disappointment were obvious as he shifted in his chair. “But I think you’d like it. It’s warm there.”

“Perhaps when you get married,” Sardinia laughed. “If I had known it was Orion’s wedding, I could have told the council this trip was purely for diplomatic reasons.”

The question seemed to make him nervous. Sardinia wondered if he had his eye on someone. Either way, his blush was cute.

***

Roughly an hour later, the train slowed to a stop in the middle of the rails in an empty expanse of land that went on for miles. No station there—an unusual stop just for King Orion’s guests.

Erin sighed as he looked across the location. “A perfect battlefield, huh?”

“Of course,” Orion said. He was wearing his bulky pauldrons again, and his sword was strapped to his side as if he expected a real battle, not a snowball fight. “An empty field where there’s no environmental advantage to either team, and no one to interfere with us.”

The others disembarked one by one.

Fang seemed delighted by the idea, and Hope was excited about new things as always. Carnelian and Lazu came off as indifferent to this change in location, while Shinkai was content wherever he was. Coda and Sardinia were the sour ones, both of them shivering and looking at the empty field in disdain.

“I hope you brought us a nice picnic lunch at least,” Sardinia said. 

“Stop whining.” Orion puffed his chest out. “This is for a special event!”

Sardinia did not. “Don’t tell me you intent to hold your wedding in such a desolate place as this.”

“Th-that’s not what I planned!”

Erin shrugged. “You assume he has a wedding plan at all.”

“I can’t have a wedding plan for something that isn’t a wedding!”

Sardinia sighed. “Are you sure this is the one you want, Erin?”

Erin knew he was trying to joke, but it wasn’t funny when other people teased Orion. Only when he did. That was his special privilege. “I bet you’re jealous.”

Fang stepped between them and held his hands out. “Come on, everyone. We came here to have some fun, right? Last night we had a lot of excitement, but that was only the pre-show. Now that we have Carnelian and Lazu, we can really begin!”

Coda sighed. “This is like a school yard game.”

Hope passed them and began marching out into the field. “Well I never went to a school, so I think it’ll be fun!” Coda went after him grudgingly.

“I haven’t been either,” Carnelian said. “Not with other children, at least.”

“King hasn’t either,” Erin said. “And neither did I, that should go without saying.”

Fang hummed thoughtfully. “So most of us here haven’t ever played schoolyard games. You’ll have to explain it to us, Coda.”

“Seriously?” All this was enough to make Coda hang his head in dismay. “Well first our captains are going to need to choose teams.”

“Kings together,” Orion said. “Fang, Sardinia, and Carnelian. With me.”

“Aren’t you forgetting one?” Carnelian said. “Hope?”

“Me?” Hope laughed. “Oh right, I had forgotten!”

Coda sighed.

“But I want to stay on my team with Coda and Erin!” He hooked his arms around the two boys’ elbows as if he wouldn’t be budged to part with them.

Erin laughed. Having friends like this all of the sudden was weird, but he didn’t hate it.

“That’s fine,” Orion said. “We will trade for Lazu. He won’t be separated from Carnelian in any case.”

Lazy nodded. “I will protect my king.”

“No, no!” Erin stomped his foot, kicking up a puff of snow. “King, you can’t have Fang, Sardinia, Carnelian, and Lazu! Those are all the best units!”

“Units?” Shinkai repeated with a chuckle. “Didn’t you mean to say precious friends?”

“We should mutiny,” Coda said. 

Shinkai mocked a sigh. “Ah, but what can we do? Erin is our strongest unit.”

“Teamwork, guys!” Hope cheered, pumping his arms. “We can beat the kings if we try really hard!”

Erin had never been one for working on teams, but he had to admit the idea of it got him a little excited. He couldn’t stop a peal of laughter from working its way out of him and clutched his gut to try and make it stop.

Orion was watching the boys laughing and squabbling together. Erin thought he looked soft in that moment, and he knew that he was about to do something kind.

“It would be unfair for us to have all the strongest players,” he said. “So, pick one from our team, and you can have him.”

“Aw, King is feeling so generous today,” Erin said. “What a softie.”

“I only want a fair fight!”

Erin laughed at him once more, and joined their team’s huddle to discuss the details.

“We can’t split up Carnelian and Lazu regardless,” Coda said. “So it’s either Fang or Sardinia.”

Hope whispered so loudly he may as well not be whispering. “Sardinia can do that cool thing with his  
water magic!”

“But Fang is the strongest hands down,” Coda said.

Shinkai hummed in thought and adjusted his glasses. “Both are intensely strong, but I think that separating Sardinia from his tall allies is more to our advantage, so that we avoid that piggyback of destruction move.”

Erin nodded. “I agree, let’s get Sardy.”

“Sardy!” Shinkai shouted. “Get over here!”

Sardinia bristled at that and huffed as he stomped over in his heavy coat. “Sardy?” Shinkai grinned and patted him on the head.

To Erin’s surprise, Sardinia merely pouted at the childish treatment and went along with it. When he thought that no one was looking, he even smiled a little.

Erin decided to run with it. He slapped Sardinia in the back. “Welcome to the team.”

***

Fang was sad that Sardinia wouldn’t be on his team, but he had fun nonetheless. He tossed a slow one at Sardinia so as not to hurt him. Sardinia was powerful, but he wasn’t accustomed to this cold, after all.

Sardinia laughed and pitched one back. Fang decided to let it hit him. 

In the end, the two of them were not much of an asset to either of their teams. 

The two teams started off with a free-for-all snowball fight. It took Carnelian some time to understand how to play, and Lazu never did really get it. He kept all the snowballs from hitting Carnelian, but didn’t throw any back. He didn’t understand at all what the others meant when they said he was “out.”

Then there was Orion, who was singularly obsessed with getting at Erin. Erin was tricky and teased him mercilessly. Orion would become even more determined, and the antics escalated.

Both sides got a bit bored of the constant back and forth of Orion and Erin’s intense tactics, and switched to other games instead.

“This is a snow angel,” Fang said. He laid on the snow-covered ground swiping his arms and legs in arcs.

Sardinia covered his mouth trying not to laugh. “And what a big snow angel it is.”

It had been a long time since Fang played in the snow like this. He and his brothers took trips to the northern region of Bestia when they were younger, before he was king.

He looked around to see that Erin was having some kind of target practice with Orion, both throwing snowballs at a target happily held up by Hope.

Coda was showing Carnelian and Lazu how to make a snowman. Carnelian put some of his gems on it so that it became a snow king.

Shinkai had taken a seat and was quietly watching all this. He took out his flute and began to play a melody as soft and bright as the snow itself. Fang wondered if he was that intuitive, to give Sardinia space to grow.

“You really don’t get cold?” Sardinia asked him. 

Fang chuckled. “Not much.” The ground was covered in snow, but the sun was out, and there wasn’t much wind either. It was plenty warm to him just to be standing in the sunlight. “Are you?”

Sardinia was hiding his shivering form under his many cloaks. “I’ll survive.”

“Orion,” he called.

Orion looked away from his match. He seemed unhappy that Erin was winning. “Fang?”

“If we’re done fighting, could we start a camp fire?”

“There’s no need, we’ll board the train soon as the sun starts to set.”

“Then uh...”. He looked between Orion and Sardinia. “How about blankets? Hot stones? Anything?”

Orion was silent for a moment with his trademark scowl carved into his face, but Fang knew him well enough to see that he was thinking, and he soon figured it out. “The train is there for anyone who may need a break. The staff can get you a hot drink, or something to hold you until dinner.”

Fang turned back to Sardinia. “Would you like to see what they have to eat on the train? You didn’t eat much for breakfast either.”

“I’m fine, I said.”

They were interrupted as Orion shouted “Gah!” and Erin giggled maniacally. It appeared Orion was losing the competition.

So it was that after a fun day playing outside, they headed back.


	3. Best Men

After the train ride, Sardinia returned to his room to change and wait for dinner. 

There was a knock at his door.

“Come in.”

Sardinia looked up to see who would enter the room. Erin appeared. He closed the door behind himself and didn’t immediately speak.

“Yes, what is it?” Sardinia prompted. “Can I help you?”

“Uh.” It wasn’t like Erin to hold back his words. “I was wondering. Do you have any extra robes you might not wear? I saw Shinkai carry a lot in here.”

“Do you have need of them?”

“Well...”. Erin exhaled a big sigh and let it spill out. “Orion has a thing about Sirena’s clothes,” he said. “He won’t admit it to you, but he thinks your silks are beautiful.”

“More like,” Sardinia laughed, “he thinks they are beautiful when you wear them?”

“Geez, I knew you’d make it embarrassing.”

“He’s not exactly subtle.” Sardinia chuckled. “If I’d only known the purpose of this visitation, I’d have brought a you a wardrobe of the finest gowns, enough for the wedding and the honeymoon.”

“Please, like that guy would know what a honeymoon is.”

Sardinia went to the closet in his temporary room, where he’d hung his clothes for the week. He stood there in deep thought, surveying them for a moment.

“I suppose this one would be most appropriate.” He pulled out a gauzy white dress with a silver scale pattern on the bodice and held it up to Erin by the hanger. “It’s for a formal evening, but I think it’ll look nice on you.”

Erin grimaced. “You just happened to have white.”

“It’s winter, of course.”

“We don’t actually wear—“. He stopped himself from trying to explain Lama’s fashion to him. “Uhg, I’ll look like a bride.”

“Is there anything wrong with that?”

“Well, it’s not a wedding, and I’m not someone’s wife.”

“Grooms can wear white, too.” Sardinia smiled. Erin was obviously uncomfortable. It was cute. “Why not try it on? If you hate it, I’ll go with you to town to pick something more to your liking as my gift to you.”

“Okay.” Erin took a deep breath. “I’ve worn dresses before for undercover ops, so this shouldn’t be hard.” 

“If you like, we could replace the bottommost dress layer with a pair of pants. It would be less elegant, but if that’s your style...”

Erin snorted. “My King sure would like it if I wore a dress, but I think I’d rather keep that sort of thing in the bedroom.”

Sardinia felt his cheeks heat up at that. Erin noticed right away.

“Ha. I thought you Sirenians were all openminded and evolved about that kind of stuff.” 

Sardinia huffed and folded his arms. “I’m not a prude, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”

“Oh, really?” Erin leaned in close to him like an animal catching a scent. “What sort of wild things have you done?”

“Please remove yourself from my personal space.” 

“Aw, but I want to hear about King Sardinia’s sordid love affairs.”

“There are none,” Sardinia snapped. He heard his own tone and sighed. “Come now, try it on.”

Erin yielded and took the garments from him and danced over to the partition that separated a corner of the room for changing. “So you’re the type who likes to hook up their friends, when you’re actually the lonely one.”

“And you like to annoy someone who is doing you a favor.”

He laughed as he disappeared behind the divider. “You have me there.” He fidgeted with the clothes for a few minutes before grunting, frustrated. “How do you even put this thing on?”

Sardinia laughed softly and joined him behind the screen. He stepped behind Erin and began to thread the laces of the bodice. “It is easier with a few servants.”

“Sirena’s king is serving me, how luxurious!”

“Hm, but don’t you have a king to serve you every day?”

Erin snorted. “He can barely lace his shoes, let alone a corset.”

Sardinia smiled as he continued the laces. With his bright red hair and tanned skin, Erin was ethereal in soft, Sirenian garments. He was still wearing the bracelet from Sirena, too. Sardinia smiled.

Erin, having grown bored of standing still, smirked and spoke to him in a teasing tone. “Fang sure is spending a lot of time with you, huh?”

Sardinia tightened the laces. He knew what Erin was trying to imply, but that was a wild misconception. “I’m a helpless child to him,” he sighed. “Ever since I requested aide from Bestia a few years ago, he’s always paid extra attention to my needs whenever we meet.”

“Sounds like you’re not too happy about that, huh?”

“He’s a kind man, but I hate being patronized. Especially by him.”

“By him, why?”

“Gods, sometimes I forget that you’re an assassin. Prying information out of me are you?”

“Its just a question, geez.”

“Shouldn’t it bother me to have the king of another star treat me like a child?”

“I guess.”

“Hm.” He tied off the laces. “You’re done. Come look in the mirror.”

He led Erin to the standing mirror where Erin did a twirl. The dress had two gathered tails of chiffon that floated around him like gossamer wings as he moved. “I like this,” he said.

The outfit fit him almost perfectly. The arms were a bit tight because of Erin’s toned muscles, but the bodice made his waist look small and curved. 

“Will you wear your hair down?”

Erin pouted. “King does like it that way, but...”

Sardinia saw the turmoil on his face, thinking about that. Perhaps it was something special only for his lover. Sardinia felt a pang in his heart when he wondered what he might keep hidden away only for the person who loved him, if he had such a person.

“How about a braid?” He said. A nice compromise.

“I don’t know how to braid hair.”

Sardinia figured an assassin wouldn’t know much about hairstyles. “Sit,” he said. “I’ll do it.”

They sat together in the bed and Sardinia began to untie and braid Erin’s hair, running a comb through it as he went along.

Instead of a tight woven braid that started high on the head, Sardinia thought a loose, rustic look would suit Erin the best. He started at the nape of his neck and sectioned his hair into three pieces.

Erin seemed unused to this sort of closeness, although not as uncomfortable as he had been before. Sardinia could relate. Although he was handled by many servants day in and out, Shinkai was the only one he would count as a friend.

“How about a flower for your hair?”

“I’m not sure which flowers we can get at this time of year.”

“I’ll ask Fang,” Sardinia said. “I’m sure he has such an oddity tucked away in his ship.”

“And he’d do anything for you, right?”

Sardinia gave that a bitter laugh. “Right.”

***

Orion had no idea where Erin had run off to, but that was nothing new. He was only mildly annoyed since he had cleared his schedule for today and that was rare.

In the hall, Fang was walking toward him, similarly detached from his attendant. 

“Where are all the boys?” Fang asked with a chuckle.

“If you can’t find them, they’re probably having fun.”

“I’m so glad,” Fang said. His expression was misty like he might even cry. “In so many ways, I’m happy.”

“There’s no reason to get worked up.”

“Even you are smiling, Orion.” 

“I am.”

“I can’t believe it. What a blessing.”

Orion shrugged and clapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Look, seeing as how we’re both detached at the moment, why don’t we have a drink?”

***

They retreated to Orion’s office. He threw off his coat and reached into his cabinet for a yet unopened bottle of liquor he had stashed away. The room was cold without a fire going, and the bottle was as good as chilled.

Fang chuckled to himself as he crashed onto the chair facing Orion’s desk. “You’re so lucky,” he said. 

“Why is that?”

“To love someone is a wonderful thing , and to be loved by someone is a treasure. But to love and be loved in return, that’s the key to happiness.”

He poured a few fingers of the dark liquid into a crystal tumbler and held it up to Fang’s face. “Stop saying corny lines and drink.”

Fang took the glass and knocked it back. 

“I know I’m lucky,” Orion said, as he downed a glass of his own. “Takes an idiot not to see that.”

“Yeah?”

“Erin is beautiful and he could kill me if he wanted—but he doesn’t.” He wagged his finger at the last part like that was the best point. “What else does a man need?”

Fang’s laughter was giddy. The drink was already getting to him. “I wish I had your luck.”

Orion poured him another, but inconspicuously saved his own for later. “Are you feeling unlucky for any particular reason?”

“Ahhhh...”. He groaned and leaned his head over the back of the chair. “Sardinia was short with me today. I think I annoyed him.”

“Oh.” Orion knew he was slow about these things, and the alcohol didn’t help either, but a gear in his head clicked into place and it became obvious. “ _Oh._ ”

Fang gulped the third glass of hard liquor and relaxed. His beast ears were out and he went limp as putty in his chair. “He seems so lonely, and I just want him to smile,” he said. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“I’m not sure a man like you is equipped to deal with Sardinia,” he said. “He’s quick-witted and demanding. He’s got pretentious tastes, and thinks everyone else is an idiot. He can even tell the future with those cards of his. I pity any man or woman who falls for that one.”

“Ah, Sardinia looked so beautiful in the snow today.”

Orion sighed. “I see it’s too late for you, my friend. You have my condolences.”

***

Erin wanted to keep the white dress of Sardinia’s a secret for later, but he had an urge to do a test run of the braided hair.

Dinner was soon. He accompanied Sardinia to the dining hall since Shinkai hadn’t come back yet to escort him.

Everyone gathered in the dining room, except for two mysteriously absent kings. Coda was similarly annoyed, sitting next to an empty spot with his arms crossed and fingers tapping.

“Go ahead and serve,” Erin told the kitchen staff with a grumble. “Everyone dig in. It’s those idiots’ faults for being late.”

“Let them have their fun, wherever they are,” Sardinia said. “Those two are old friends, after all.”

The party began to eat, and it wasn’t long before Orion stumbled into the room, stinking of booze, with Fang half draped over his shoulder.

“Wass the big idea eating without me, huh?”

Erin scowled. He had spoken to Orion about getting this drunk before. They still had enemies who would take advantage of that, especially if Erin wasn’t around.

But he didn’t voice that in the dining hall in front of all their friends. Instead, he tapped the surface of the table with his butter knife and glared daggers at Orion.

Coda groaned in disgust as Fang dropped into his seat. “Damn it, pull yourself together.”

Fang giggled. “Ah, sorry! I forgot I should eat before I drink.”

Erin rose from his chair to help Orion find his seat. “Stupid fool,” he grumbled. “Now sit there and don’t move until you’ve sobered up a little.”

Orion nuzzled against Erin’s shoulder. “What did you do to your hair?”

Sardinia laughed behind his napkin. Erin huffed a breath and batted Orion’s hands away from his braid. “Don’t start with that.”

It was hard to stay mad at him when he stared back at him with that dreamy look in his eyes, lost in adoration. “You’re lovely, Erin, I—“

Erin loaded a fork up with potatoes from Orion’s dinner and shoved it into his mouth to silence him.

***

“Damn idiot,” Erin groaned as he all but dragged Orion to their bed. “How much did you drink?”

Orion had sobered up enough to walk, but he was still listless and rambling. Once inside, he crashed on the bed. “Enough.”

“Take your damn shoes off first,” Erin scolded. “And your stupid pauldrons, and your big dumb coat.”

“Okay, okay.” Orion laughed as he fumbled to remove his clothes. “Whatever you say, dearest.”

“Don’t give me that. You know you shouldn’t let your guard down, even now.”

“Fang was having a crisis,” Orion said. He was still giggling as if he couldn’t control it. “It’s my duty as a man to console a comrade in his time of need.”

“Eh?” Erin arched a brow. Orion wasn’t getting very far trying to undo his coat in his state, so he sat and began to unbutton it for him. “What’s up with Fang?”

“Fang loves Sardinia,” Orion said, snickering. “That poor bastard, I wouldn’t wish such a fate on my worst enemy.”

“Loves him? You sure?”

“He’s got it _bad_.” He drunkenly attempted an impression of fang. “Sardinia is _so_ beautiful, blah blah blah.”

Erin laughed. So Sardinia’s cards weren’t good for everything. He had a blind spot, and Fang was in it. 

“Let’s go to bed,” he said, nudging Orion to move over and let him in. “I’ll figure out how to handle this.”

“Erin...” 

As he sank into his usual spot in the bed, Orion rolled over and threw an arm across him. He sighed. “Yeah?”

Orion gave his forehead a sloppy kiss. “I’m lucky.”

“Of course you are. Now go to sleep.”

***

That morning, Fang was vaguely aware of Coda trying to wake him, spewing a few curses and kicking the bed. But Fang was like a dead body.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed after that before he was awakened rudely by a headache. The sun was up, and there was a pleasant melody playing somewhere in the distance. Probably Shinkai. In his current state, each note was like a tiny ice pick picking at his skull.

Fang sat up, that was a mistake. His head throbbed. “What the hell is in Lama’s liquor,” he wondered aloud as he went to the window to pull it shut and close the drapes. 

There was a knock at the door. 

“Coda,” he groaned. “It’s unlocked.”

When the visitor knocked again, he crossed the room and opened the door to find Sardinia there.

For a moment, he was too stunned by Sardinia’s beauty to say anything. Today, the king of Sirena was wearing soft pink and sunset orange in place of his typical sea green and blue. It was harmonious with his soft strawberry candy hair and deep rose colored eyes that stared back at him with a clever smirk.

“Good morning,” he said. “I brought you a gift.” He shook a small bottle filled with white tablets. 

Fang returned to himself and the first thing he realized was how undressed he was. He was only wearing a pair of underclothes. Waist up and thigh down he was bare. He closed the door until it was cracked. “Just a minute, I’m not decent!”

Sardinia’s laugh came pealing from the other side of the door as he pushed it open farther. “Please, I didn’t think you Bestians were so modest.”

Fang clutched his throbbing head. Where was a robe? It wasn’t that he’d mind if it was most people, but Sardinia wasn’t most people. “Please, just give me a minute.”

“Fine, fine.”

He found a robe and threw it on. It was provided with the room. Black and gold with green lining, Lama’s colors. It covered him to below the knee.

He opened the door.

Sardinia laughed again. Fang was glad at least that he found this amusing.

“When you didn’t show up to breakfast, I figured as much.”

“As much?” 

Sardinia shook the bottle in his hand. The tablets tinkled inside the glass. “This is headache medicine.”

Fang sighed and accepted it. “Thank you.”

“Take two with plenty of water,” he said. “And eat first.”

Fang was hungry, but he didn’t trust his stomach. “I don’t know...”

“Come now, Lama’s cuisine seems perfect for this kind of thing. Let me get some breakfast for you. We had some kind of egg all wrapped up with bacon and cheese. Not quite a crepe.”

“An omelette?”

“Yes, that. It was delicious. Enough protein and fat to soak up your hangover.”

“I’ll try it.” Fang sat on the little sofa in the room. He had to remember to thank Orion for accommodating them with such nice quarters. Even if he had to share with Coda, it was cozy and warm despite the weather outside.

He looked up as Sardinia rang the little bell to call for an attendant. 

“Are you here to take care of me, Sardinia?”

Sardinia smirked, and seemed satisfied at himself for that. Fang didn’t really get it, but it was cute, so he didn’t mind. “Well, I need to ask a favor, but I kind of like how these tables have turned.”

“What do you mean?” He let his weight sink into the couch. “I’m too sick to know if you’re teasing me.”

Sardinia poured a glass of water from a pitcher and brought it to him. “I _am_ taking care of you,” he said. Fang took the glass, and Sardinia sat down beside him, gracefully gathering the layers of his gown.

Fang drank from the glass like a man lost in the desert. 

“Easy, now.” Sardinia laughed as he scolded him.

Sardinia smiled at him.

The thought of Sardinia caring for him every morning crept up into his mind. It wasn’t an indecent sentiment, but Fang felt guilty for how much he longed for that. For Sardinia to smile at him every day, to greet him every morning and night.

“Are you all right?” 

“Yeah, sorry, I was just daydreaming.”

Fang’s food came, and Sardinia brought the tray to him. Fang wasn’t sure, but then he caught a whiff of the smell. So good. He began to eat ravenously.

“At least chew it.”

Sardinia’s bossy side was kind of cute. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For taking care of me.”

Sardinia huffed and turned his nose up. Fang thought he could make out the slightest blush on his cheeks, but maybe that was wishful thinking. “It’s only fair, since you’re always looking after me.”

“Am I?”

“Take them now.” Sardinia pointed demandingly to the pills he’d laid out. 

Fang couldn’t help but have a little fun. “Yes, King Sardinia, as you command.”

Sardinia’s face twisted up into a pout, and his cheeks blushed. It matched his clothes. 

Fang took the medicine. “How long until it works?”

“Maybe twenty minutes.”

“When I’m feeling better, would you like to go to the town with me? I can show you more about Lama.”

“Actually, I was hoping you and Coda might help me with some business.”

“Yeah?” Fang wondered if Hope and Coda would both come, and Sardinia could make better friends with them. 

“The totally-not-a-wedding ceremony is happening tomorrow, and I want to find enough flowers at least to make Erin a corsage.”

“Ah, I know what flowers Orion likes the most!” Fang got too excited and grabbed his head as it started to throb again. “On my ship, I always bring fruits and flowers to trade to Lama during their winter.”

“Ah, so that’s why you had those fruit.”

“And Orion in particular like sweet things, like strawberries and cake.”

“Hm... is there a way we could get a cake?”

Fang began to wonder that, but something else occurred to him. “Sardinia, does doing things like this make us the best man? Or uh, men?”

“Best men?” He put a finger to his lips in thought. “I doubt either of those two would admit it, but... well, someone needs to help them so, we will just have to be self-appointed.”

“Then it’s our duty to make sure this not-a-wedding is the best it can be!”

Sardinia was still lost, pondering. “Do they even have rings? Vows?”

He shook his head in dismay. “We’ve only got one day to figure it out”

“Then, please.” Sardinia stood up. “Rest until your headache clears and come find me when you’re ready.”

He let himself out of the room.

Fang sighed dreamily as he sank into the couch and waited for the medicine to take its effect.


End file.
